The Kiaro (and the newer QL-120) from Quick Label Systems has been one of
the largest selling color label printers on the market.
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| Kiaro Color Label Printer |
I know this
printer mostly from my work with current customers that have switch away from the
Kiaro/QL-120. Often, I speak with prospects who
had decided to replace their Kiaro with a C7500G (and now even a C6000/C6500). Based on these discussions, I decided to try
to describe the important differences between the Kiaro (and the other options
sold under different names) and the C7500G/C6500.
Before starting, please know that the Kiaro is
the exact same printer as the Swiftcolor SCL 4000 D/P sold by Kanematsu.
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| Swiftcolor SCL 4000D |
Many
years ago I wrote about the Swiftcolor printer in this post.
Kanematsu
sells the printer to AstroNova/Quick Label Systems under an OEM agreement. Up until recently, Kanematsu was the
distributor for Canon outside of Japan for this label printer. In January, 2018 at CES, Canon announced the
launch of these printers in North America:
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| Canon LX-D5500 |
Now you have access
to purchase the same printer from three different companies. In this post, I’ll
use the brand name, Kiaro to represent all of the options. And please remember; we don’t sell the Kiaro
printer any longer. It’s just too
difficult to keep them running. But more
about care and maintenance of these color label printers later.
Looking at the
Kiaro (QL-120), I see 4 unique benefits vs the C7500G. First, the Kiaro offers up to
1200 x 1200 dpi print resolution; much higher than the C7500G with 1,200 x 600
resolution. I’ve seen great print quality from the Kiaro printer.
Second, the
Kiaro comes in either dye or pigment-based inks. Die ink are much more vibrant; but are not
water resistant or water proof. The ink
will come off labels easily. Pigment
inks are very durable; but are not as vibrant in color as the dye Kiaro
models. But the choice is good to have
depending on your requirements.
Third, the
minimum width of a 4” version of the Kiaro printer is 25 mm or .984”; which is
narrower than the C7500G at 2”. And the
minimum length of a label is 6 mm or .236”; much shorter than the 1” minimum of
the C7500G. Narrow widths and shorter
lengths make the Kiaro printer fit many more applications.
Although the
Kiaro has other features, I don’t see them as unique or valuable in the
comparison with the C7500G.
As for the
negatives, I see 3 with the Kiaro printer.
The first and largest is the 4 consumable print heads. As each printhead may cost up to $750, it is
expensive to replace this consumable item.
As I understand, the costs are $2500 to replace all 4 print heads at
once.
How long one of
the four printheads last depends on the material and percentage coverage of the
labels printed. Many years ago, I
requested from SwiftColor an ink cost and printhead estimate on this 4 x 3”
label:
 |
| SwiftColor Example Art |
And they sent
me this estimate:
 |
| SwiftColor Ink/Printhead Estimate |
Although my
request was concerning ink cost, the printhead life was more interesting to
me. At 161,186 4” x 3 labels, the
printhead cost per label was 483,000 inches and added $0.0046/label; almost ½
of a penny per label for just the black printhead. If you add up the cost of all 4 printhead,
the cost per label was $0.013 just for printheads (assuming
$750/printhead). At the time, I was told
the black line around the label reduced the black printhead life. In this example, the printhead cost was
almost as much as the ink cost/label. (Remember; these costs were from many
years ago. The printhead price has
changed).
In addition to the cost of the consumable
printhead, installation of one of the four printheads is not so easy. To replace the printhead, you need to drain
the ink, disassemble the printer and remove 1 of 4 printheads, reassemble the
printer and then recharge the ink. In this video, Quick Label Systems assumes you want to change all 4 printheads at
one time.
However, most
people will want to change only the affected printhead. You’ll need to remove and replace the
printhead from the array. Changing
printheads requires an operator with mechanical skills, time and patience to do
the job correctly. With the C7500G, the
printheads are permanent and not a consumable item.
In addition to
the consumable printheads, the Kiaro printer has other consumable items. The second negative is the time and money
required to change these items. The
Kiaro has a “Blade Cleaner”, “Purge Unit”, and “Maintenance Cartridge” which
are considered consumable items. In
addition, the printer has parts that need to be replaced as required such as
the “Transport Unit”. To replace many of these items, draining the ink and
special tools are required. The time and
money required to change these items seems onerous to me. The C7500G has a “Maintenance Kit” that takes
seconds to change and costs $31. I tell
customers that they’ll need approximately 3 of these kits per year with heavy
use.
Lastly, the Kiaro
printer seems to require much more work and maintenance to keep these printers
operating. By the accounts of formers
users now customers, the Kiaro printers have issues with streaks and require
lots of repair. Although having C7500G
printers that required repair, we’ve found these printers durable and
reliable. Plus they are much easier to
operate. For most customers, operators
of the C7500G must just press “Print”.
And the new C6000/C6500 seem to have less risk
of streaks; learn more here.
Although the
Kiaro can print great looking images, and produce very small and short labels,
the requirements to keep these printers running appear to be too difficult for most
users. In this regard, the C6000/C7500G
is much easier to use and reliable while producing great looking labels.
As for another comparison, check out a previous
post, the LX2000 vs the C7500, here.
Another point
to consider: the Kiaro printer comes in an 8” version as well. However, the 8” version is two 4” version
stitched together. No only does this
printer have 8 printheads to replace, but also has had issues with the
stitching of the heads. Because of this
issue, I believe Quick Label Systems launched their Memjet printer, the QL800
and purchased Trojan line of printers.
Now just get a C6500 printer for less money and better/more reliable
printing.
I hope this
comparison helps with your analysis of the available printers for on-demand
color labels. Contact us if we can help with your color label printer
requirements.
Guy Mikel
855-962-7670
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